Low-water alarm.



PATBNTED MAR.l 24, 1908.'

G. WQODALL. 'Low WATER'ALARM.

APPLIGATIOI FILED NOV. 16. 1907.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEY UNITED STATES GEORGE WOODALL, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, ASSEGITR QFfGNEJ-HLF T0 J. H CKEY, SACRAMENTO, CiliLIiQijNlL i is. sasso.

Specification of Letters Fat/ent.

. Application filed Novemberl', 190'?. Serial No. eofi.

To all 'whom 'it may conce-rn:

' VBeit known that GEORGE WoonaLL,

citizen of the United States, residing at Sacremonte, in the county of Sacramento and 5 State of California, have invented neav and useiui .improvements in LOW-Water Alarms, of hich the following is a specification.

fly invention relates to a device for lindiating when Water is low in steam boilers.

it consists in a combination of parts, and in details Vof construction which will be more rhiily explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which-the figure is a '"lsr showing the device.

shown in the drawing, A is the boilershefli andv B is the crownsheet of the 'lire-box, these being related and united in the usual ifnanner. i

the central portion of the crown sheet is raised to forni a small arch as shown at B. ilus arched portion being raised above the mainportion of the crown-sheet will be iirst exposed it" the Water becomes low, and the remainder of the crown-sheet being still cov ered with water, Vwill not 'be uncovered be fore an alarm has been given.

vAr plug or socketieee 2 made of brass or other suitable meta is screwed into the top of the crown-sheet. The up r art of this socket-piece extends into th oiler-space and is counterbored. This counterbore is illed with a fusible plug 3 which Will melt at a heat iess than that which will injure the iron of the crown sheet. Openings Iare made transversely through the`socket-piece'2 connecting'with the boilersplace so that the fusible plug is exposedA i) oughlthese o enings. opening 1s also made doWnWar ly through the socket-piece 2, and this openinor may either be left open, so that if the nieta 3 is fused it can entirely escape clear of the socketpiece 2, or if it is preferred not to allour it to escape, then a screw-plug. 4 is iitted into the lower end of this opening, in which case a sufficient space must be left above this plug to contain the soit metal after it has been melted.

yFrein the top of the socket-piece 2 a tube extends upwardly through a stuiiingbox 6 i the top of the boiler-shell A, and this in# wires la tight joint atthis point.

t a convenient point on the upwardly efxtending tube 5 exterior to the boiler, is iiXed renal lelevation of the upper portion of a a tube 7 which may be disposed horizontally f or vertically as desired. To tube is con nectecl a Whistle or other alarm device, and

if desired a second pipe as at 8 may leafl troni the T or cross to discharge ste-ain into the rire-box to the 'firs therein.

The operation ol" the der/ice thus far described Will Vfollows: it the Water ben comes loir enough to expose the upper part of the socket-piece 2 this will become so heated as to melt the fusible alioy at 3, which dropping down belenr the transverse openings at 2 vrih admit steam directly from the boiler, and this steam passing up the tube 5 will be discharged to the Whistle or other alarm device, calling attention at once 'to the fact. Ii the osening at the bottom of the socket-piece 2 be not closed, steam or steam and Water Will also pass through this opening to -eiztinguisl'i the tire, and the saine result may be accomplished or assister@L by means of the pipe lt is however not desirable in all cases to stop the iire, orhill the engine. l have therefore shown a .means for closing the opening marie bythe fusingv of the alloy and this closing rnay be effected after attention has been called to the state of the Water by the alarm. lt consists of a stopper l0 having a shaft or rod. il extending upwardly through the tube 5, and through a proper stuiling-bo1r l2 above the Whistle connection, and the upper enrl oi' this rod may have a liaiirl-u'lieel or other device i3 by which it can be turned. i portion oi the rod passing through the lower partei the 4stuffing-box is screw-threaded so that the rod may he advanced in either direction.

vling-guides' are shown at 14 in conjunction with the stopper l0 to insure the proper alineinent thereof. The lower part of the stop er l0 carries a con-e l5 oi fusible instal whic 1 is so shaped `as to fit into 'the' sechstin the sockeepiece 2 after the fus.A e, metal 3 has beeninelted out thus it will be seen that after the alarm has been given by the melting of the fusible plug 3, the space previously occupied by said plug may be irn- Inediately illed by screwing clown the stein 11, and the stopper with its fusible plug 15, the latter iilling the space formerly occupied by 3, and preventing any further escape of steam. lf for any reason this fusible shoe l5 shouldl also be melted, the point of the stopper l() is so formed that it may be screwed down into the tfusibie plug chamber, and the passages therefrom closed to prevent the ies Htl

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escape of. steam. dThis is especially desirable 1n the case ofv locomotives or engines Where it 1s not desired to lose steam and sto the engine, and in such cases the ,ialrm wi l he condi-A having openings transversely through its sides forming lan open connection with -the steam s ace near to the danger point, a

fusible p ug normally closing said transverse openings, a pipe extending upwardly and havlng an alarm connection therewith exterior to the-boiler, said pipe being in open communication. with the steam space of the boiler by the melting of the fusible plug.

2. ln an apparatus of the character described, a socket-piece fixed in the top of the crown-sheet, a pipe extending upwardly therefrom, said pipe being ixed to the upper -end of said socket piece, and a whistle or alarm connection with the upper part of the pipe, said socket piece having transverse openings forming an open communication between saidsocket-piece and the interior of the boiler, anda fusible lug by which said openings are normally c osed while the plug remains intact.

3. In an apparatus of the 'character described, a chambered socket-piece 'fixed in the upper part of the crown-sheet of a boiler, and having open communication with the interior of the boiler, a fusible lug by which said opening is normally closedl and exposed by the melting of said plug, a tube extending upwardly from the socket-piece having the whistle or like alarm attachment con-- nected with it exterior tothe boiler, and a manually actuated stopper' whereby the opening exposed by vthe melting of the plug may be again closed.

4. In an apparatus o" the character described, a crown-sheet having its upper portion raised above thev general level of the sheet, a chambered 'socket-piece fixed in said raised portio` l, said socket-piece having openings transversely through its sides forminA 'an open communication with the interior o the boiler-space, a fusible plug iilling the chamber and normally closing said side openf ings, an extension of the chamber below vthat portion occupied by the fusible plug,

said extension adapted to receive the fused metal after it has passed from the chamber, and a pipe connected with the socket-piece having an exterior `alarm connecting therewith. i

' 5. In an apparatus of the character described, and in combination with the boiler,

' 6; in an apparatus of the` ,character described, and in combination with the boiler and crown-sheet, a chambered socketieee fixed in the top of the crown-sheet and aving open communication with the boiler steam space, a fusible plug normally closing.

said connecting passages, connections between the socket-piece and an exterior alarm, an extension into which the fuse/dimetal may pass7 a supplemental guided stopper having a fusible tip adapted to fit the chamber in the socket-piece, and a stem or shank, with exterior means for advancing it to close the discharge passages of the socketpiece. v

ln testimony whereof l' have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-l nesses.

- f GEORGE WOODALL.

Witnesses D. YV. CARMICHAEL, M. )L FisHER, 

